The Asia-Pacific region is riddled with many potential security flashpoints, such as the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the seas around the Philippines.

Preventing a full-blown crisis from boiling over at these and other hot spots in the region requires building trust through dialogue and exchanges.

Such discussions should lead to stepped-up efforts to build a solid foundation for a long-term stable order in the region.

The annual Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, was held in Singapore to bring together regional defense ministers and experts for exchanging opinions.

On the sidelines of the event, the defense chiefs of the United States and China met for the first time in a year and a half.

As tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea have heightened between the two countries, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense Dong Jun exchanged sharp words.

However, their agreement to set up a working group to discuss a system for mutual communication in times of crisis was a step forward.

Especially in the United States, where the political climate is heating up over the upcoming presidential election, both the Democrats and the Republicans are vying to outdo each other in adopting a tougher stance against China.

We call on the military authorities of both sides to do more not only to prevent an unforeseen security emergency but also maintain calm and cool-headed approaches to dealing with security issues in the region while distancing themselves from these political trends.

This should be considered a minimal goal, however. The United States and China, the two leading powers bearing significant responsibilities for maintaining order not only in Asia but also around the world, are fundamentally expected to commit themselves to improving the middle- and long-term security environment.

What is alarming is the rapid acceleration in nuclear arms expansion and missile development in the region. There have been no reports of talks between Washington and Beijing over nuclear arms since last November.

At a time when Russia is irresponsibly threatening the use of nuclear arms, the United States and China should collaborate to reduce the risk of nuclear warfare.

In his speech at the conference, Dong criticized “outside forces” for heightening tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea through “collusion and support,” apparently blaming the situation on the involvement of the United States without naming it directly.

However, it is an undeniable fact that the Chinese military has been causing tensions to rise in the region by taking assertive and aggressive actions to enhance its air and naval presence, such as militarizing reefs in the South China Sea.

China must take seriously the fact that many speakers at the conference denounced China for taking actions that contradict its words.

Meanwhile, the United States has been making a series of moves to build a network of deterrence against China with allies and friendly nations, including Japan.

Japan is also intensifying its involvement in the South China Sea through support for the Philippines.

In this context, Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto expressed his disappointment with the rising geopolitical tensions, stating that the Global South (emerging and developing countries) is disillusioned.

It is vital to pay serious attention to the collective voices of countries wishing to see the leading powers seek stability through diplomatic efforts, instead of competing militarily.

We welcome the recent agreement between Japan and South Korea on measures to prevent the recurrence of a dangerous situation such as when a South Korean Navy destroyer locked its fire-control radar on a Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft in the Sea of Japan, which led to a bitter diplomatic row.

In line with this positive step, the two countries also agreed to resume defense exchanges.

Both sides need to handle this dispute with calmness to prevent the re-politicization of the issue and not to make Japan-South Korea relations a new factor of instability in Asia.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 4